Tomato Ricotta Crostini, roasted

At a glance

What stands out: Everyone loves this roasted tomato and ricotta crostini recipe! Tangy roasted tomatoes, smooth ricotta cheese, and sweet balsamic glaze evenly balance each other. Top the appetizers with fresh basil if it’s available.

How long it takes: 30 minutes to roast the tomatoes (but you can do it ahead of time)
Equipment you’ll need: small baking sheet
Servings: 12

These roasted tomato crostini are total the kitchen food: a roasted vegetable (basically our favorite thing ever after popcorn), creamy cheese (also a winner in our book), and crunchy bread. Who doesn’t love crunchy bread?!

We had our first taste of this combination at our in-law’s house a couple years ago. We think our mother-in-law used a Martha Stewart recipe (and Google confirmed our suspicions). We wanted to re-create these appetizers so we started from scratch, and we're happy with how they turned out.

Tomato Ricotta Crostini

Straightforward to mix. These crostini are reliable appetizers because they don’t take long to put together. The tomatoes have to roast for 30 minutes but that’s hands off time. While they’re in the oven, toast the bread and spread the ricotta on each slice. Top with the roasted tomatoes and a drizzle of balsamic. Straightforward peasy!

Straightforward to serve. This is an appetizer recipe that is great served hot but it’s also tasty as it cools down to room temperature. In our mind, that’s a necessary trait of appetizers unless you’re planning to serve it straight from the stove (like stovetop spinach dip with sun-dried tomatoes) or from a slow cooker, like this spinach artichoke dip. Who wants to be worrying if your appetizers are hot enough?

Add an embellishment. We like to drizzle these ricotta crostini with balsamic glaze for an extra punch of flavor. That stuff is liquid gold. Bonus points if you make from-scratch balsamic glaze. A garnish of fresh basil is good, too. However, as you can tell from our photos, the middle of winter is not a good time to score fresh basil, so our appetizers are basil-less.

What goes in

• Cherry or grape tomatoes: Choose whatever looks a standby. A package of tomatoes in assorted colors is fun, too. It’s best if the tomatoes are on the smaller side. We like grape tomatoes because they tend to be sweeter.
• Balsamic vinegar: Roasting the tomatoes in balsamic vinegar heightens the flavor and concentrates the sweetness of the balsamic. You’ll also need olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of brown sugar.
• Ricotta cheese: We usually buy part-skim ricotta but choose your favorite. If you want to take this recipe one step further, instead of plain ricotta, try whipped ricotta. It’s creamy and spreadable (we use whole milk ricotta), and can easily be made ahead.
• Baguette: Thinly slice the baguette to make the crostini. The word crostini basically means “little toasts”. You can toast them plain or brush a bit of olive oil on them before toasting. Learn how to make crostini in your oven, skillet, or a grill pan. It’s straightforward!

Ways to change it

• Buy crostini. If you don’t want to bother with making the toasts, you can buy Italian bread toasts, bagel thins, baked pita chips, and so on. They work evenly with this appetizer idea. Making your own crostini is definitely more economical though.
• Make it a lunch. If you wanted to translate this irresistible appetizer into a lunch you’ll be looking forward to all day, use a slightly bigger slice of bread (you could stick with the smaller pieces but we're just trying to make your life easier). Pair them with a nice salad or hot soup.
• Serve it DIY. Serve the tomatoes, cheese, and crostini separately and have guests assemble their own. A similar idea is this hot Caprese dip which is another of our favorites. It’s made with roasted tomatoes, cream cheese, shredded mozzarella, and fresh mozzarella cheese.

Make Ahead

Toast the bread. Toast the bread slices a few days in advance. Make sure the crostini are completely cool before storing in an airtight container or resealable bag.

Roast the tomatoes. If you like, the tomatoes can be roasted a day or two ahead of time. Refrigerate the roasted tomatoes with any pan juices. To serve, allow the tomatoes to come to room temperature or gently warm them in a skillet on the stove or in the oven (or toaster oven) if you prefer them hot. They are great either way.

• Yield: 12
• Prep: 10 minutes
• Cook: 30 minutes
• Total: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes
• ¼ cup balsamic vinegar
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon brown sugar
• ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
• 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese (whole milk ricotta is fine, too)
• 1 demi-baguette or half of a baguette, sliced thinly on the diagonal (made into crostini, see note)

Method

1. Preheat oven to 300°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil for easy clean-up.
2. In a small bowl, toss tomatoes with vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, salt and pepper. Place tomato mixture on the foil-lined baking sheet.
3. Bake tomatoes for 30 minutes or until tomatoes start to burst, stirring or shaking baking sheet about halfway through cooking. Let cool slightly on pan.
4. Toast baguette slices in a toaster or under the broiler of your oven while the tomatoes cool (see note).
5. Top each toasted bread slice with ricotta and then tomatoes. Drizzle each appetizer with pan drippings or balsamic glaze (see note). Serve immediately.

Notes

How to make crostini: Learn how to make crostini bread toasts. There are a few different ways so you can choose your favorite method. If you prefer, buy Italian bread toasts, bagel thins, or a similar product instead of making your own.

Garnishes: A drizzle of balsamic glaze enhances the flavor. If fresh basil is in season, garnish each appetizer with a small basil leaf.

Make ahead: The bread can be toasted a few days in advance. Cool completely before storing in an airtight container. T he tomatoes can be roasted a day or two ahead of time. Refrigerate them with any pan juices. To serve, allow the tomatoes to come to room temperature or gently warm them in a skillet on the stove or in the oven (or toaster oven) if you prefer them warm. They are great either way.